GTP Cool Wall: 1989-1998 Mazda Miata/MX-5/Eunos Roadster
- Thread starter White & Nerdy
- 191 comments
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- 27,163
- United Kingdom
Wonder if that's just a U.S. thing. That I know of, there's no reputation problem with Mercs over here. Certainly nothing driver-related, though the brand itself has cultivated quite an impressive image separate from the old "built like a tank" image they used to have. Not to go too far off-topic but in the UK Merc has ended up on the official "cool brands" list for the last few years. The only other car company to do so is Aston Martin.
To get a little more on-topic, it's interesting hearing people's reasoning for deeming the Miata uncool.
The elitist douchebaggy contingent mentioned by @Joey D and a few others I get, though really that contingent doesn't really exist in the UK (more likely to find it in the VAG scene, in my experience). Still can't understand the chick car thing though (not aimed at you directly @JMoney689, just pondering out loud) unless you're really that insecure that you can't be seen in a car that might have at one point been driven by women*.
That, and if you're a guy, driving a car that women like (whether you're single or already have a partner) doesn't seem like a bad thing to me. Hell, if we're to assume there's some homosexual stereotype here too then driving a car that other gay guys like can't be a bad thing. And if you're female, then the car presumably suits you and guys will probably appreciate the girl-in-a-sports-car thing, so there's another win-win.
* How many women honestly drive NA Miatas these days anyway? All the ones I know loved my car but aren't really the type who'd have lived with something that noisy and breezy every day...
- 34,949
- Indian Falls, NY
- slashfan7964
If you drive a Mercedes here, you are immediately labeled an asshat/douchebag. Kinda.
There's different "presumptions" on someone, or so I've noticed.
>Old guy: I've have lots of money saved up from an entire lifetime and want to live in luxury". Typically nice but can be a dick.
>Middle aged guy: "I have one hell of a job, my salary pays 6 figures! Now leave me alone *snarls*"
>Young guy: Douchebag with daddy's money, generally a stuck up SOB.
>Built like a tank rep (people typically think old American cars are built that way and anything not American sucks):
That's how I've seen things and noticed a lot of people tend to agree with it. Not saying that's how it actually is though.
The same thing kind of applies to Miata's.
>Old guy: Easy going, laid back guy that wants something peppy but not ridiculous. Might want to be flashy.
>Middle age guy: Potentially the same as the young guy below, but is pretty inbetween the old and young guy.
>Young guy: Likely "gay" or some other derogative term. Thinks his "🤬 don't stink".
Now that immediately changes with some kind of aftermarket visuals and appearance or engine swap, or even both.
>Monster Miata (Car guy views): "That's a badass car!!!"
Joel
Premium
- 8,141
- Halifax, NS
- Noob616
It's a solid cool.
The "hairdresser car" or whatever is mostly a positive IMO, because that's essentially a euphemism for the car not being a showy and overt display of masculinity. The more aggressive you are in proving your masculinity the less cool you are, you shouldn't need a huge truck or aggressive looking sports car to prove you're a man.
The "hairdresser car" or whatever is mostly a positive IMO, because that's essentially a euphemism for the car not being a showy and overt display of masculinity. The more aggressive you are in proving your masculinity the less cool you are, you shouldn't need a huge truck or aggressive looking sports car to prove you're a man.
Joel
Premium
- 8,141
- Halifax, NS
- Noob616
I dunno, speak for yourself I guess. I don't tie my sense of masculinity to how many liters my car displaces.
I do know where you're coming from, I grew up in a small country town about a 2 hour's drive from where you have your location listed as, and I would imagine that attitudes towards trucks are similar (lots of people who hate imports here too). I just never really identified with that part of the culture.
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- 27,163
- United Kingdom
That one is definitely different here. I see quite a lot of young-ish people driving MX-5s (I was 24 when I bought mine and most drivers I've seen seem a similar age), and there's one good reason for that - it's about the best fun you can have for the least amount of money over here. There's certainly not the attitude problem a few U.S. members have mentioned.
Indeed.
- 4,040
- UK
- ReTyger
Cool from me, upper. The remit of the thing and what it did (effectively brought back the spirit of the fun sports coupes of yesteryear like the Elan, old MGs etc. only for a slew of copycats to appear) gets an SZ but the car itself is just a little too cute and dinky to warrant an SZ overall. Extra props for RWD though.
Oh hey, this is the perfect time to share a Road & Track feature I read in the March/April issue, about the Alaska Miata Club (AKMC). It lends some insight into the culture that surrounds one particular GTP member.
- 4,551
- Moscow
- Rage_Racer_VOLK
- RageRacer48
I'm not gay but I'm rating this Sub Zero (what's that "gay car" stereotype? I don't get it).
Not only emotional thing. It's an agile, light FR car, fun to control and perfect for amateur motorsport. The concept is similar with the Toyota's Hachi-Roku (AE86).
Not only emotional thing. It's an agile, light FR car, fun to control and perfect for amateur motorsport. The concept is similar with the Toyota's Hachi-Roku (AE86).
- 34,949
- Indian Falls, NY
- slashfan7964
There's something about it really. People tend to associate "bigger = typically more power = better/cooler" and "big = masculine". Think of it as a testosterone loaded body builder with big muscles. People generally regard those people as very masculine. It almost translates to cars/trucks as well. Bigger/aggressive = very manly. This can be attributed to muscle cars and trucks, with sometimes bloated ("muscular") looks and general aggressiveness (associated with testosterone and adrenaline), with large engines. Also, men with large levels of testosterone typically have or develop a very deep voice which can be interpreted as masculine (or rather, is a masculine feature since men typically develop deeper voices than females). Deep roar of a large V8 engine can viewed/percieved as "manly" and downright scary....you get where I am going with this.
This doesn't always hold true though. I can agree with this or disagree with it depending on the day you talk to me and the mood I'm in. Days where I am loaded with adrenaline I will agree with it all day long. Subtle days I may lean towards smaller engines. It depends really. I'm weird like that.
Being that I am around that culture 24/7, since I was little, that's just how I thought things were for a very long time. I didn't know any better. I do now, obviously, but that's beside the point.
Isn't it amazing how things change depending on your location? Fascinating stuff. 👍
Because it's a "cute" car. Cute cars with male drivers put off a "feminine" or "girly" view which leads to said stereotype. "Girly" men can be associated with being homosexual (but not always. See Rob Halford of Judas Priest for example). See what I said to @Noob616 in the top of this post. Masculinity in cars is generally connected to human masculine attributes. I think this stereotype tends to come from the male gender simply because that's how men develop. Of course, there are people who don't think this way, but really that's how I think it started.
It's pretty simple to grasp I think. For example, there is the things I spoke of earlier with muscle cars that show "masculinity". Look at this 1969 Boss 429 Mustang, and this 1971 Plymouth Roadrunner. Both have the "manly" attributes I spoke of earlier.
Now compare this to a Miata:
It doesn't have the other features you see in the first too pictures. It has a more feminine look to it, and I think that's where the sterotype comes in.
That doesn't make the Miata a bad car though, because it's awesome in it's own right (hell, I even want one).
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- 34,949
- Indian Falls, NY
- slashfan7964
I would say that depends on the person, their profession (other than body building). That's where things are different between cars and people. Body builders typically aren't cool, but that doesn't mean muscle cars aren't cool either. Quite the opposite in fact, but that depends on who you talk to. @Joey D hates them
- 11,122
- Bromley
- V16T91
- E0nLeader
If we stopped recommending it here to anyone ever, it would no longer be Seriously Uncool.
See, I'm in the year now where people reach the age they can learn to drive and buy a car once they've done that. And several people in my year have taken their tests immediately after turning 17, and some have bought a car immediately after the L-plates are cut up. I'm planning on taking a similar route.
The cars in question that some have bought all seat 5. This is so they can take 4 of the lads along for a drive at lunch for literally no reason other than fun.
An NA cannot do this. It can only seat 2.
Therefore, in the realms of today's youngest drivers, it is utterly useless.
Unless you're a loner. And loners are deeply suspect.
And bear in mind, these teenagers don't care about actual cars. So they won't see the legacy behind it.
And in England, there's also a thing called "teenage banter". If you turn up in an NA, this will result in "gay" remarks. And they will come. No matter what a car enthusiast says.
There's also the question of modification. In America everyone wants this on their cars and they do it on the NAs they've bought as a result. But all the UK teen cares about modifying is their stereo. So they nullify the boot with a subwoofer that cause tremors at its highest volume. And there's not much room for that in an NA. Another mark down.
So as a teenager, coming up to the age of starting driving and eventually going through lessons, will this be my first car? ...Not a chance.
I've been looking at Smarts myself. Yes, I know I said 2 seats, but the purpose is entirely different to the MX-5s. Plus I can insure it myself and not on my parents like the rest must be doing...
And even from an actual car enthusiast perspective, I prefer the NB and NC after it. If you bothered to read the above, you'll have noticed I didn't know the NA as 'the return of the roadster'. That's probably half the reason its legacy hasn't shone down on me. The same can be said for other cars too, particularly the Ferrari F40 for example.
As a result, the NB and NC's strengths appeal to me more. The NB's curvier body, particularly with a lick of orange or sky blue paint, is easy on my eyes. The NC is a blockier beast perhaps but still attractive with the right add-ons and it's so much faster.
Kazunori Yamauchi, who makes Gran Turismo by the way, hasn't helped either.
So as a result, I dislike the NA. Quite a lot. I don't hate it, because I do realise it's a great car. It should be rated highly...but not this high. Not by a long shot.
See, I'm in the year now where people reach the age they can learn to drive and buy a car once they've done that. And several people in my year have taken their tests immediately after turning 17, and some have bought a car immediately after the L-plates are cut up. I'm planning on taking a similar route.
The cars in question that some have bought all seat 5. This is so they can take 4 of the lads along for a drive at lunch for literally no reason other than fun.
An NA cannot do this. It can only seat 2.
Therefore, in the realms of today's youngest drivers, it is utterly useless.
Unless you're a loner. And loners are deeply suspect.
And bear in mind, these teenagers don't care about actual cars. So they won't see the legacy behind it.
And in England, there's also a thing called "teenage banter". If you turn up in an NA, this will result in "gay" remarks. And they will come. No matter what a car enthusiast says.
There's also the question of modification. In America everyone wants this on their cars and they do it on the NAs they've bought as a result. But all the UK teen cares about modifying is their stereo. So they nullify the boot with a subwoofer that cause tremors at its highest volume. And there's not much room for that in an NA. Another mark down.
So as a teenager, coming up to the age of starting driving and eventually going through lessons, will this be my first car? ...Not a chance.
I've been looking at Smarts myself. Yes, I know I said 2 seats, but the purpose is entirely different to the MX-5s. Plus I can insure it myself and not on my parents like the rest must be doing...
And even from an actual car enthusiast perspective, I prefer the NB and NC after it. If you bothered to read the above, you'll have noticed I didn't know the NA as 'the return of the roadster'. That's probably half the reason its legacy hasn't shone down on me. The same can be said for other cars too, particularly the Ferrari F40 for example.
As a result, the NB and NC's strengths appeal to me more. The NB's curvier body, particularly with a lick of orange or sky blue paint, is easy on my eyes. The NC is a blockier beast perhaps but still attractive with the right add-ons and it's so much faster.
Kazunori Yamauchi, who makes Gran Turismo by the way, hasn't helped either.
So as a result, I dislike the NA. Quite a lot. I don't hate it, because I do realise it's a great car. It should be rated highly...but not this high. Not by a long shot.
- 27,385
- Toronto
- NewAesthetic
- SlipZtrEm
Er, the "bodybuilders have tiny juniors" line of thinking is arguably a more ingrained stereotype in North America than the "Miatas are hairdressers cars" one. Some girls might dig the loud, brash cars around here, but the ones driven overly aggressively (laying down stripes, refusing to shift until redline even in the city) almost always garner a bunch of (deserved) knob comments. The only people who really get excited about others driving like arses are those that are likely to do it themselves.
Anywho, Cool, for much the same reasons listed here. I want to rate it higher, I really do, but it's lacking in some hard-to-define ways.
- 4,209
- Wasilla, AK
Some sections of that Miata club article may not have helped dispel the stereotypes.
Also, I may have seen the yellow car in the header photo before, but didn't realize there was a club as their cars carry no club identification that I could see.
In any case, Slash pretty much descibed why this car is uncool. Coolness is about attitude, and the Miata doesn't have much. Although I think the bloated styling described by Slash looks more like fat than muscle. Back when safety regulations weren't so tough, you could get away with much thinner pillars and tighter styling in general, and that made cars look lighter and more muscular. Bigger engine, smaller car (i.e. the exact opposite of what manufacturers are doing now), that's how you cool.
Also, I may have seen the yellow car in the header photo before, but didn't realize there was a club as their cars carry no club identification that I could see.
In any case, Slash pretty much descibed why this car is uncool. Coolness is about attitude, and the Miata doesn't have much. Although I think the bloated styling described by Slash looks more like fat than muscle. Back when safety regulations weren't so tough, you could get away with much thinner pillars and tighter styling in general, and that made cars look lighter and more muscular. Bigger engine, smaller car (i.e. the exact opposite of what manufacturers are doing now), that's how you cool.
- 34,949
- Indian Falls, NY
- slashfan7964
I said that more so to make a comparison, not that they are all actually that way. I couldn't think of a better word at the time.
- 27,385
- Toronto
- NewAesthetic
- SlipZtrEm
I completely agree. Though rather obviously, for much different reasons.
- 16,431
- United Kingdom
Muscle car's typically look better than an MX-5 in my opinion, I prefer the way they are sculpted, their stance, their proportions.. on the other hand the MX-5 looks like a used bar of soap on wheels.
This is just my opinion.
This is just my opinion.
- 7,368
- Houston, TX
- ryandude2448
I see what you did there
- 4,209
- Wasilla, AK
This is almost the exact same comparison I came up with.
Styling can also be a factor in coolness (in fact it's a part of attitude), but the NA Miata doesn't really have any styling. The NB could almost be considered a good-looking car, but the NA is just a lozenge.
